Halo: The Battle for Earth
by DeadHeartagraM
Summary: A story of a sniper team and several marines as they struggle to take back Earth. (Its not completed yet, so there might be some typos. Just the first chapter as well, more on the way latter.)


The sun had already set a few hours before the Pelican drop ship even made its approach to the LZ. The ship carried only two men who were on a mission to eliminate a Prophet, the masterminds behind the technology of the Covenant. The drop ship landed on a deserted street in a destroyed part of Earth City.  
The two men jumped out and ran to a nearby building. They checked their gear and began walking towards their objective. They crept along quietly in the shadows, staying behind the few still working street lights.  
  
Dead bodies of humans and Covenant littered the roads and sidewalks, the battle for this part of Earth City had been a very large and long one. The humans had lost the fight and were forced to retreat. The two men crept passed several dismembered carcasses, the smell of death was still in the air. Blood covered the walls and ground, across the street was a destroyed Scorpion Tank, smoke bellowed out of its cockpit. There were Warthogs overturned here and there, all were burned and melted, their M41 LAAG turrets were black and bent. The battle had finally finished a few hours prior to the men's visit. Weapons and spent shells laid scattered on the wet blood soaked pavement.  
The marines soon came to a building that seemed like the ideal place to be for the mission. One soldier pulled down the fire escape as the other covered them. The screech of metal scraping on metal came as he pulled down the ladder.  
Stealthily the two men climbed up the fire escape of the building. The slightest sound of footsteps on metal could be heard as they ascended up the ladders towards the roof of the structure. The building was only nine stories high, but it would be more than enough room for them to get their job done.  
The first man climbing up was a sniper, his rifle was packed away in a black Kevlar bag that he carried on his back. He was dressed in all black camouflage, a black tac vest, a black boonie hat that kept his long shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, and black face paint. He did not wear the metal armor that the other marines did. His M6D Pistol was in it's holster on his right leg.  
The second man was the sniper's spotter, he carried with him an MA5B Assault Rifle. It was strapped to a sling and hung around his back. On his left leg was his pistol, holstered in place. The man wore the same outfit as the sniper before him and a radio pack on his back. He was a very large man, his muscles rippled as he grabbed the rungs of the ladder.  
They reached the roof and laid down. Very slowly and quietly they moved towards the other side where they would set up. The building overlooked what used to be a very large courtyard which now was a Covenant camp. Far away in the back left was a road leading into the open area and close on the right side of the men was another road leading into the courtyard. Those two streets were the only way into the camp from the ground. In the middle was a large fountain, several stories high surrounded by a few bushes and tree.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The Pelican drop ship began to exit earth's atmosphere. The pilot of the ship, Zoe Wells, leaned forward and flipped a few switches. She was a new recruit, and this was only her second time piloting without any supervision. Her father was a marine and was killed fighting alongside the legendary Master Chief. He died when she was only three, she did not really know her father that well, but he was the reason she joined.  
She began talking into the headset she wore, it was directly linked with the large carrier ship she was stationed on, The Griffon II.  
"This is Echo 774 requesting clearance to dock with The Griffon II." she said as she piloted the Pelican around to the under side of the ship where the docking bay was.  
"Echo 774 you are cleared for landing, proceed to dock." one of the soldiers in the control tower replied.  
A gigantic door opened leading into a massive hallway. Zoe piloted her ship through the door and stopped in front of another. Slowly the door behind her shut and the one in front opened. She continued through into the large hanger as the door closed behind her. A marine holding two blue lights guided her back into an area for her to land. She set the ship down, unbuckled her self from the seat, took off her headset and exited through the door in the back.  
She walked past several parked Scorpion Tanks and Warthogs. A few mechanics were working on the parked vehicles and other men walked around guiding in and out Longsword Fighters and Bombers.  
She walked down the halls of the cruiser towards the elevator, she was heading to her quarters to take a quick nap before she had to head out and get the two men she dropped off.  
She reached the elevator door when red lights began flashing on and off. A man's voice come on over the intercom," All hands report to your stations, incoming Covenant vessels."  
Zoe turned around and headed back to the hanger, though she did not really have any station to be at, she did have to be ready incase her Pelican needed to be scrambled.  
People were running past her as she ran towards the hanger. The ship began to shake as it was hit by Covenant fire. Zoe fell to her knee while she ran, a loud crash came from up above as she got to her feet and kept running. She reached the entrance to the hanger and went through. Almost all the Longsword Fighters had been sent out, the remaining few were either waiting to be sent out, or on their way out.  
She ran over towards her Pelican and climbed in, flopped down in the seat in the cockpit, buckled up, put on her headset and waited to be launched.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The two soldiers laid out on there stomachs, atop the building high above the streets and away from any danger, hidden by the night. The sniper, Sgt. Spyder Tempesta, stared through the sight of his S2 AM Sniper Rifle. He whispered to his spotter, Cpl. Alex Blasko, " Do you have the target?" Cpl. Blasko blinked his eyes shut, and continued to peer through his spotting scope.  
"Negative, target is not in site." the Corporal whispered back to the sniper. He looked through the scope at the Covenant camp.  
Several Grunts and a few Elites came walking out of a building which appeared to be the mess hall for the aliens. One of the Elites was carrying in it's hand a piece of meat, the alien periodically took bites out of the flesh.  
A group of Jackals surrounded a small grunt, they seemed to be picking on the weaker alien. One of the Jackals kicked the Grunt in the back of it's head, causing the tiny creature to fall down on its face. Another Jackal helped it up off the ground, only to hit it in the face. The grunt let out a loud, high pitched scream as it fell to the ground once again. Two red armored Elites came running over to where the Grunt and Jackals were. They broke through the shielded aliens and helped the smaller Grunt up to its feet. The two Elites exchanged what seemed to be words with the Jackals and then left. The circle of Jackals broke and the small Grunt walked away.  
Seven plasma turrets, or Shades, sat around the camp, guarding the base from any intruders. Each was manned by a Grunt and had a Jackal protecting it. Three Hunters stood around, they seemed to be talking with one another. A fourth was walking around the camp helping guard.  
The two men had been laying in wait for nearly five hours now waiting for their target to appear. Sgt. Tempesta licked his lips and blinked. The night vision calmed his tired eyes as he blinked once more. His finger rested on the trigger of his rifle, the safety still on. He fallowed a group of Jackals as they walked from a building into their barracks. There Shields were not on and their Plasma Pistols not in hand. They were such a week creature, one or two bullets from any weapon would completely destroy them. Yet in any battle, there strength could be overwhelming.  
Cpl. Blasko watched two Elites shove each other back and forth, bickering over something, he did not really care. Behind the two aliens a small figure emerged from a building. It rode on a light purple machine that floated a few feet above the ground. It's red cape hung behind it and flowed as the alien moved. It's neck was very long and jutted out in front, almost passed the machine it sat in. A giant head dress rested on it's shoulders and the back of it's neck. Two golden chains connected the piece on it's head to the one on it's back. The spotter whispered to Sgt. Tempesta," Target in sight."  
"Where is the target?" asked the sniper.  
"Far in the back behind the two arguing Elites." answered Cpl. Blasko  
Sgt. Tempesta looked around for a few seconds before he finally found the target. He zoomed in on the Prophet and put the reticule on it's head. The slight sound of a click could be heard has he switched the safety on his rifle off.  
"Windage?" the sniper asked.  
"None." the spotter replied.  
  
"Distance?"  
"Two hundred and seventy-three yards."  
Sgt. Tempesta closed his left eye and concentrated on the target. He let out a deep breathe and went to squeeze the trigger.  
A very loud sound erupted from behind the two men. All the aliens in the camp looked up straight at them as a Covenant drop ship flew over head. The engines blew down on the two soldiers as it passed over them. It circled around the camp a few times before it finally set down. They watched as it landed on the ground and let off several Brutes. It was a different kind of drop ship, a newer one, it was not long and rectangular like the older drop ships, but more round. It had several legs on the bottom and two spikes that jutted out in front of it. The door opened upwards like an inverted drawbridge and revealed the cockpit and transport area. It was armored in the same strange purple metal that all the other Covenant ships were covered in.  
The fury beasts looked around and talked with the other aliens, they seemed to be telling them to be on guard. The Brutes walked over to the Prophet and helped guide it as they moved back toward the drop ship. Their heads moved as they looked around, trying to find something or someone. One stopped and sniffed the air and looked over to where the humans were.  
"Now, take the shot before the target gets onboard that drop ship." Cpl. Blasko whispered to Sgt. Tempesta.  
As soon as the spotter quit talking, all of the Brutes at the same moment stopped in their tracks and turned to where the men where hiding. They raised their weapons and fired. They rushed the Prophet towards the drop ship as they continued to fire. The rest of the Covenant turned in the direction the brutes were shooting at and began to fire. The purple blasts from the Shades began to slam into the buildings nearby, melting them as the plasma beat the walls.  
Sgt. Tempesta followed the Prophet and lead less than a millimeter in front and above the target's head. He took in a deep breathe and squeezed the trigger. The bullet shot out of his rifle's barrel in a perfect spiral, leaving behind it's trademark long and foggy gray trail in the air. The weapon kicked back and let out a defining blast. In less than a second the bullet flew through the air, into the Prophet's small green eye, out the back of it's head and tore the right hand off of the Brute behind it. The Prophet fell out of it's floating machine onto the ground, its brain was splattered all over the Brute who's hand was blown off. Blood gushed out of it's wrist as it picked up the dead Prophet's limp body and set it inside the drop ship. The ship, which was also firing at the sniper and his spotter, lifted off and flew away. Several Elites began running up the stairs of the building the men were on.  
Sgt. Tempesta turned the night vision off on his scope and looked over at his spotter. "Lets get the hell out of here Alex!" he said as he packed his rifle in it's carrying case and pulled out his M6D Pistol. They stood up and ran to the back of the building to the fire escape where they first came up to get into position. Sgt. Tempesta went down first as Cpl. Blasko turned and covered them with his MA5B Assault Rifle. The sniper rifle flopped up and down in its case on Spyder's back as he climbed down the ladder. Sgt. Tempesta pointed his pistol up and covered Cpl. Blasko as he climbed down the ladder.  
The Elites reached the top of the building and ran after the men. They leaned over the edge and began firing their Plasma Rifles. A shot from one of the Covenant's rifles slammed into the ladder a few feet above Cpl. Blasko as he climbed down. The blast caused him to fall of the ladder, he landed on his feet and looked up and fired his weapon.  
Sgt. Tempesta fired three shots, the first missed but the last two hit an Elite in it's face, tearing through it's body shield and face. The Elite feel over the side of building, it's dead body clipped the ledge of the fire escape and flipped over many times before hitting the ground. Cpl. Blasko kept firing his weapon as Sgt. Tempesta slide down the ladder. The 7.mm rounds from his assault rifle hit a few Elites and took away their body shields, but none were killed. He reloaded and jumped on the ladder and began to climb down.  
As the Elites began to descend down, one still on the roof threw down a Plasma Grenade and began shooting again. The shots from it's Plasma Rifle melted right through the guard rails and the wired floor of the fire escape.  
Sgt. Tempesta was firing up at the aliens as they came down the ladder when he saw the grenade falling towards his spotter.  
"GRENADE!" he yelled as Cpl. Blasko climbed down. Alex looked up, jumped off the ladder, and swatted at the grenade with his rifle. He looked at it stuck to his weapon and looked over at Spyder. "Lose it!" the sniper yelled as he looked back up and fired more rounds at the Covenant. Cpl. Blasko threw the gun off the fire escape and pulled out his M6D Pistol. The grenade exploded in air as it feel towards the ground. The spotter looked up and covered Sgt. Tempesta as he climbed down the final ladder to the street. Once Spyder was on the ground he looked up and threw a grenade at the covenant. An Elite caught it but before it could throw it back, Spyder had picked it off with his pistol. The M9 HE-DP Fragmentation Grenade blew up in the alien's hand and killed a few of the Covenant.  
Blood, shrapnel, bodies and plasma from the surviving Covenant's shots splattered around the two men as they ran towards their extraction zone.  
They turned down an alley and stopped running. They reloaded their weapons and Sgt. Tempesta guarded the entrance to the alley while Cpl. Blasko took off his radio pack, holstered his pistol and called the ship the two men were stationed at, The Griffon II.  
"Sky 1 to Star, I repeat Sky 1 to Star, come in, we are under attack and being pursued by Covenant, requesting immediate extraction now!" Cpl. Blasko shouted into the radio.  
"This is Star to Sk .., we are sor .., .. not pick you up at this time, .. under attack fr .. several Covenant cruisers, do .. best to stay alive. Star out."  
The transmission was broken and full of static, but both the men heard enough to know what it meant. Cpl. Blasko put the radio pack on his back and took out his pistol. They walked to the entrance of the alley, looked around for any enemies and crept slowly out.  
The men arrived at their extraction zone and laid down in some bushes. Sgt. Tempesta took out his sniper rifle and turned the night vision on. Cpl. Blasko took out his spotter's scope and looked through it.  
The area was clear and abandoned, but they did not know how long they would have to be there, they didn't want to just sit out in the open, so they figured that the bushes were the best place to be.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A large metal beam fell from the ceiling of the hanger bay and landed on a marine running to an escape pod. The soldier was crushed instantly under the beam's weight. The Griffon II had been severely damaged and was starting to fall towards earth. All the people stationed on her were ordered to abandon ship. All the Longsword Fighters had been destroyed in battle and the docking bay's exit doors to space had been blown.  
Zoe started her Pelican drop ship up and positioned it to launch through the broken doors. She had a few passengers on board, a medic, two marines and pilot whose ship was docked for repairs. She flew the Pelican right threw the melted doors of the hangar. The ship rocked back and forth as it slammed through the charred metal.  
Outside in space several small Covenant ships were flying around and firing at The Griffon II, the larger ship stayed a good distance away and was firing very large blasts of plasma at the ship. Each shot from the large alien cruiser slammed into the hull of the human vessel and melted straight through it.  
The Pelican entered into Earth's atmosphere at about seven hundred miles per hour. Red flames formed around the drop ship as it fell towards the war torn planet. she turned around and yelled to her passengers, "Incoming fire, hang on!" Plasma shots whizzed by the ship, one bolt melted through the right wing of the Pelican, leaving a small black hole.  
She flew the ship down over Earth City, far off in the distance a battle was raging. Bright lights and explosions could be seen and heard erupting from the are where the fight was taking place.  
Zoe set the Pelican down on the roof of an old building and lowered the hatch in the back. The two marines jumped out and turned left, they walked at a fast pace stacking each other as they moved. Within a few moments they had the LZ cleared. The first marine carried an M90 Shotgun the second had a MA5B Assault Rifle.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The two men laid in the bushes waiting for an extraction.  
"I wonder how long were going to be here?" Cpl. Blasko thought out loud as he looked over at the sniper.  
"Not to long I hope." Sgt. Tempesta looked up from is sight and over at his spotter. "But I have a bad feeling that The Griffon II was completely destroyed, and I really doubt that anyone survived the fight."  
"This war a hopeless, we can never beat the Covenant. Humans are going to be an extinct race in a few years, you know that Spyder."  
"I know, but thinking about it only makes it worse. Try to look on the bright side of it."  
  
"What bright side would this be? That were all going to die one day anyway?" the spotter said as he stared through his spotting scope.  
"Shh." Spyder whispered to Alex. "Look down the road, it's a Covenant patrol, there probably looking for us."  
Far off, out from behind a corner ten Covenant appeared. Two Elites, three Jackals, and five Grunts.  
High above the streets the loud sound of a Pelican drop ship erupted. The ship flew past, over the streets and out of view. The covenant looked up at it and fired a few rounds of plasma.  
"Lets take them out before they get any closer, and radio in to that Pelican." Sgt. Tempesta whispered to his spotter as he flipped the safety off on his rifle.  
"Distance?"  
  
"Four hundred and ninety-six yards."  
  
"Windage?"  
  
"Twelve left."  
Sgt. Tempesta turned the knob on the top of his sight four clicks to the right, closed his left eye and took in a deep breath.  
"Which target first?" he asked Cpl. Blasko as he peered through the scope on his rifle.  
"The red armored elite."  
He placed the reticule half a centimeter above the Elite's head, the aliens were walking toward the two men so he did not need to lead at all.  
The sniper squeezed the trigger, the bullet exploded out of his rifle and flew straight into the red Elite's head. The round had torn through the alien's face, it's dead body fell limp to the ground as the other Covenant stared at it, puzzled and confused at what had just happened.  
The casing was ejected from the sniper's weapon, he moved the rifle slightly and aligned the reticule inside his sight half a centimeter above the blue armored Elite's head. He squeezed the trigger, the shell was thrown out of his gun as the bullet traveled through the air towards it's target. The round hit the top of the living Elite's head, tearing through its skull and exiting out of the back of it's head. The creature fell to the ground, blood and pieces of the alien's brain pooled around it's body. The other Covenant realized what was happening and ran for cover, the Jackals hid behind their shields and the Grunts ran to hide behind buildings.  
"Windage seven left." the spotter whispered to the sniper.  
Lt. Tempesta turned the knob on the top of his rifle one and one third clicks to the left.  
One of the Jackals moved his shield slightly to fire at the men. Before the creature could shoot it's head was ripped off by a bullet, its body fell to the ground.  
The thin gray fog slowly disappeared as the sniper pulled out the magazine from his rifle and inserted another one. He cocked the rifle, set the reticule above and in front of a Grunt's head and squeezed the trigger. The weapon kicked back into his shoulder as the bullet tore through the air towards the little Covenant. The round met the alien in the right side of it's skull as it ran toward cover, the force of the shot knocked the Grunt off of its feet.  
The two remaining Jackals charged up their Plasma Pistols and fired, they were too far away from the humans for the homing plasma to lock onto them, but they still fired anyway. The Grunts ran around frantically shouting and occasionally firing at the men while trying to hide behind the Jackal's shields.  
The group of Covenant were trying to escape, the Grunts were running as fast as they could back towards the corner they first emerged from, and the Jackals were slowly moving backwards, keeping their shields in between them and the men.  
Sgt. Tempesta squeezed off three more rounds, dropping two Grunts and a Jackal. The shells ejected from the side of the gun as he fired, quickly he ripped the spent magazine out and put in a third one.  
The remaining two Grunts were nearing the edge of the building, if he let any of the aliens get away, they would return to the camp and bring back an entire squad of Covenant to the human's hiding location.  
Spyder fired two more shots, the smoke trails left in the air went straight into the two Grunts' heads. The Jackal turned and looked at the dead bodies of it's comrades and looked back in the direction of the two men.  
The sniper fired two final shots, the first destroyed the alien's shield. It stood there for a quick second and then turned to run for cover, holding it's hands over it's head as it moved. The second collided with the right side of the creature's chest and exited out the other side. The bullet carried with it the innards of the alien as it left it's body. The Jackal fell to the ground and let out a terribly loud scream. A pool of purple blood formed around the dieing alien, it's body began shacking violently for a few last moments and then finally stopped.  
Sgt. Tempesta sat up, he drew his M6D Pistol and looked down to his spotter. "See if you can't get a hold of that Pelican that just flew overhead."  
Cpl. Blasko got up to one knee, took the radio pack off his back and turned a knob on the top to change the frequency a few times.  
"This is Sky 1, does anyone copy? We are stranded and need immediate extraction now."  
He had been changing the frequency several times before he got a reply.  
"Sky 1 this is Echo 774, transmit your location and I'll be on may way to come and pick you up."  
"We will be waiting at the extraction point you were supposed to come pick us up at Echo 774."  
Cpl. Blasko put the radio on his back and patted Sgt. Tempesta on his shoulder. The spotter pulled out a canister and threw it out into the middle of the street. Yellow smoke billowed out of the can. The two men laid back down and waited for the Pelican to come and get them.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The four men got back into the Pelican and it started to lift off. Zoe turned the ship around and flew it back past the way she came in.  
"Ma'am, we should head the other direction towards that battle once we pick these two men up." one of the marines said as he double checked his weapon and gear.  
She nodded her head in agreement with what the soldier had said.  
On the ground in the extraction point was a canister, yellow smoke came pouring out of it. She circled the drop ship around a couple of times before finally setting it down on the ground.  
Two dark figures emerged from a few bushes and ran towards the Pelican. The two marines onboard jumped off and covered the men as the ran. The men climbed on board and buckled up as they sat down.  
"Everyone in?" Zoe asked as she lifted the ship up off the ground and flew towards the battle raging off in the distance.  
"Sorry, no rest for you boys, we're heading towards that fight off in the distance." one of the marines said as he leaned forward looking at the two men. "I'm private Tommy Grice, most people just call me Gun though."  
He was a bulgy and muscular man, his brown hair was nearly but all shaved off. His eyes were a deep black and his lips pale pink, dark brown stubble was starting to grow in on his neck and face. He wore the same gray fatigues and metal armor plaiting that all the other marines wore.  
"I'm Sergeant Spyder Tempesta, this is Corporal Alexander Blasko." he said looking over to his spotter. "Why do they call you Gun?"  
"You know, Tommy, Tommy Gun, its an old nickname. What happened to your rifle Cpl. Blasko"  
Cpl. Blasko leaned forward and looked at Gun. "It blew up, you wouldn't happen to have a spare would you?"  
The marine laughed and sat back in his seat. "No sir, I prefer my shotgun personally, but you can borrow some ammunition for you pistol." he reached into a pocket on his gear and tossed Alex a magazine for his pistol."  
"Thanks"  
"No problem."  
Sgt. Tempesta leaned forward and looked up at Zoe. He looked out the open backdoor and back up at her. "What's our ETA ma'am?"  
She turned her head slightly and spoke to the sniper. "Four minutes sir."  
Sgt. Tempesta sat back in his seat and leaned his head on the wall, he held his sniper rifle in between his legs. The black paint that he had on his face was almost all gone, except for small blotches under his chin and in his ears. He checked his gear, he only had six magazines left for his rifle, and seven for his pistol. He pulled the clip out of it's chamber in his weapon and removed the last bullet in it and placed the round in one of the pockets on his tac vest. Spyder took out a magazine and slammed it into the bottom of hi rifle.  
Cpl. Blasko looked over at the other marine. "What's your name?"  
The marine looked at the Lieutenant that asked the question. "I'm Corporal Mark Sheppard."  
He was a redheaded man, but it was hard to tell because of the short hair he had. soft gray eyes that matched the marine's uniform. His arms were rather small for a marine, but he appeared strong nonetheless. His long nose jutted out past his apple red lips.  
Alex turned his head toward the pilot and the medic. "And who are you two?"  
"I'm Airman First Class Jay Sendal."  
His long blonde hair blew as the air circulated around through the back of the Pelican. The small amount of light gleamed in his eyes as if they were mirrors. He was tall and slender, not too muscular or round. He wore a light gray flight suite, pockets and zippers covered the pilot's outfit. He wore a thin metal chest plate, the pant legs were tucked into his black boots.  
"And I'm Steven Haloway."  
A long scar ran along the right side of the man's face and up onto his bald head. He had big round cheeks and a large stomach. He was not overweight or fat, but big. He seemed fast for someone his size, and strong too. The perfect build for someone who would be saving lives. He had on the same uniform as the other two marines with one small difference, on the back of his helmet was a white circle with a red cross painted in it. The same white circle and red cross was painted on both of his shoulder guards, and the front and back of the body armor on his chest.  
"Incoming! Hold on!" Zoe shouted as a stream of plasma shots flew past the wing of Pelican as it made it's descent.  
The ship hovered a few feet off the ground and let out the two marines and the medic, it then took off and landed on top of a building nearby to let out the sniper and his spotter, it then took off again and landed near another Pelican. The pilot got out and took the controls of the other ship, both lifted off the ground, separated and flew around the battlefield.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The three men ducked behind a building as a barrage of plasma shot by. There was a group of about eight marines pinned down across the street behind an overturned Warthog and what used to be a giant statue. One of the soldiers was wounded and needed attention severely.  
Gun turned around and pointed out the men to the medic. "You haul ass over to those guys, we'll give you cover fire!"  
Gun brought out a grenade, and tossed it around the corner, it's impact-initiated fuse sparked the moment it hit the ground. The Covenant looked down at it as it bounced towards them. One Grunt jumped on top of it, sacrificing itself for the others. The grenade exploded and sent the small Grunt flying into the air, its body had absorbed almost all the shrapnel.  
The Corporal got down on one knee and peered out from behind the side of the building and fired his MA5B Assault Rifle at the Covenant, Gun leaned the corner and fired his shotgun.  
"Go now!" Mark yelled as he fired at the aliens.  
Steven stepped back and took a running start, he ran across the street and jumped. He turned his body sideways in the air and fired his pistol towards the Covenant. He could fell the heat from the bolts of plasma as they shot past his head and body.  
He landed with a thud and slid along the pavement behind the destroyed Warthog. The marines looked at him and continued to fire as he sat up and crawled towards the wounded soldier. Bolts of plasma flew overhead and crashed into the black and burned metal of the vehicle.  
The injured man sat up against the base of the broken statue, holding the wound in his stomach. Steven grabbed the man by his shoulder and helped him lye down, he reached behind himself and pulled out the med-pack that all medics carried with them. He reached into the pack and pulled out a plastic tube, there was a small button on the top of it.  
He turned around and grabbed a marine by his armor as he was reloading his assault rifle. "Hold this man down and help me take his chest plate off!"  
The soldier nodded and helped pull off the gray metal on the man's chest. The marine looked down at the man and held him in place as he screamed and shook back and forth.  
Steven placed his hand on the man's chest and felt around. He found the soldier's heart, placed the tube vertically over it and pressed the button on the top. A needle sprung out of the bottom of it and into the man's heart injecting a drug called Serophyn directly into him, his heart would pump it throughout his veins and temporarily numb all the nerves in his body.  
The man's eye's widen as the needle went in and he soon passed out.  
The medic looked at the wound, it was a small black hole in the bottom left part of the stomach. The shot of plasma had gone straight through his armor and halfway through the man's innards, melting everything as it went in. The heat from the shot had cauterized the wound shut leaving a cave-like hole of burned and melted flesh in the man.  
Steven looked up at the marine that was helping him. "There's nothing that I can do for him, he is going to die, most likely before he even wakes up. I'm sorry."  
The marine looked down at his companion and nodded his head, took a few magazines from his body and then looked back up to the medic. "Take his weapon and the extra magazines and help us fight!" he hunched down, walked over to the edge of the statue's base and began firing.  
Steven looked down and picked up the dead marine's weapon. It was a MA5B Assault Rifle, he had only fired one of them a few times in basic training, but he knew what to do with it.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gun and Mark were still at the corner of the building firing at the Covenant. A Jackal had managed to sneak up behind the two men and opened fire. Gun slammed his back into the wall as he reloaded, the blast of plasma melted through the well an inch away from his right arm, he could feel the heat from it. The marine looked up at the Jackal and began shooting, the alien raised its blue shield and deflected the bullets. Mark turned around and fired the last six rounds in his magazine at the Jackal. It's shield broke and the fire from Gun's shotgun tore through it's frail body. Purple blood splattered on the wall and ground as its body was mangled by the barrage of shrapnel.  
Two more Jackals appeared from around the corner, they exchanged fire with the two men for a few seconds and hid behind their blue shields.  
The two soldiers unloaded their weapons at the two aliens and started to run. The Corporal reached into a pouch on his side a pulled out a grenade.  
Plasma sprayed around the two men as they ran. Mark jumped in the air, a bolt of plasma beat the ground where his feet where. He turned in midair doing a full 360 and tossed the grenade behind himself. It bounced in between the two Covenant and exploded, killing the both of them instantly.  
They ran across the street they had been running alongside of and stopped behind a Scorpion Tank. The tank was heading towards the spot they last saw Steven. It fired a round from its mammoth 90 mm HV cannon, the shot crashed into the wall of the building the two had been hiding behind. The wall exploded outwards on the covenant and rocked the overturned Warthog. The marines behind it covered as dust and rubble from the building fell on their heads.  
A bright blue ball of plasma slammed into the cockpit of the tank and into the driver's face. The marines riding on the vehicle jumped off and ran to the back of the tank for cover with Gun and Mark.  
The three marines from the tank looked at the other two soldiers and turned around to fire.  
"Give me cover fire!" Mark yelled as he climbed up the tank towards the cockpit.  
Three of the men threw grenades and began firing as Mark reached the cage protecting the driver. The horizontal bars had been melted right through, Mark lifted it up and pulled the dead driver out. He slide the body down the side and climbed in, he turned the turret on top to the left and fired it at a group of Elites that was running towards them. The ground underneath the aliens exploded into the air nearly fifteen feet. The group of Covenant's bodies flew high into the air and far back.  
The other three marines and Gun climbed onto the tank as it started to drive away.  
All firing suddenly stopped at the sound of a very recognizable shot and footstep. Two Hunters came running around a corner, one of them crashed through the wall of the building it was running past. The two aliens stopped and looked around. Almost at the exact same time every one of the humans in the area began firing at the two gigantic creatures. The bullets from the marines weapons bounced off the armor of the Hunters.  
Mark fired the Scorpion Tank's 90 mm HV cannon at the two Covenant. The round hit the Hunter on the right square in it's face, knocking the both of them off of their feet. The second Hunter stood up and shook it's head. It began charging up it's Fuel Rod Cannon and aimed it straight at the tank.  
"Get off!" Mark yelled as he jumped out of the cockpit. The other marines dropped off the tank and jumped on their stomachs for cover.  
The huge green blast from the Hunter's cannon ripped through the air towards the tank. Mark was in midair when the shot hit the tank. The force of the blast flipped the tank over several times and sent Mark flying through the air. He landed near Steven on his left arm, his elbow was hyper extended and the two bones stuck out through the skin on his arm.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Steven and another marine stood up and ran over to him, they dragged him back to the statue and Warthog. The Corporal held is arm as they dragged him, his face began turning pale white as the blood poured out of the wound.  
The medic and the marine ripped the armor off of Mark's shoulder and forearm. Steven pulled a short strand of cloth out of his med-pack and tied it around marks arm, he then pulled a short metal bar out and put it between the cloth and Mark's arm and turned it as many times as he could, the wound stopped bleeding.  
Steven looked up at the marine helping him. "Hold this bar and make sure that this doesn't loosen!"  
He pulled out a knife and cut two large pieces of cloth off of his sleeve. He tied Mark's upper and lower arm to his chest and stomach. He looked up at the marine holding the tourniquet. "Stay here with him, I'll be right back!"  
Steven got up and ran towards the marine in the squad with the radio pack. He grabbed the pack off the man's back and set it down on the ground. The marine that was carrying it turned around and looked at the medic for a moment and then turned back and continued firing.  
"Echo 774 this Steven requesting immediate extraction, I have a wounded man who needs medical attention right away."  
"This is Echo 774, I'm on my way, just give me a clear LZ to land in."  
Steven dropped the radio and ran back over towards Mark and the marine.  
"Toss a yellow smoke out in that clearing over there," the medic pointed behind him. "and help me stand him up so we can move him there!"  
The marine put his hand into the pack on his waist behind him, pulled out a small tin canister and threw it over towards the courtyard the medic had pointed to. The two men walked Mark over to the courtyard, plasma and bullets whizzed by them as they helped guide him to the yellow smoke.  
The Pelican flew in overhead and hovered near the smoke. They lifted him onto the floor of the ship and climbed in, they picked him up and buckled him into two seats.  
Steven pulled out a needle of morphine and injected it into Mark's arm. "Get him out of here Zoe! Take him to the nearest human field hospital!" he shouted to the pilot as she lifted off.  
The two men ducked and ran back to the other marines in the unit they had separated from.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The two men laid out on the rooftop of a building high above the battle raging down below. The spotter looked through his scope, calling out targets for his sniper.  
Down below the marines were busy fighting off a Hunter and several other Covenant.  
"What's our distance form the enemy?"  
"About seventy-three yards."  
The sniper squeezed off a round, the casing ejected from a hole on the side of the rifle. The bullet speed toward a golden armored Elite. It slammed into is head, knocking the Covenant back a few steps. It held it's Plasma Sword out in front of itself and let out a loud yell. It lunged forward and continued running toward a lone marine who was reloading his weapon. The man looked up at the Elite as it lingered in the air for a moment.  
  
Sgt. Tempesta fired a second round, it tore into the alien's chest as it flew through the air towards the soldier. It fell to the ground inches in front of the man.  
The marine turned around and looked at the building the sniper was in and ran toward cover.  
"Wait till the Hunter turns around and you can get a clear shot at it's exposed backside." Cpl. Blasko told the Sergeant.  
"Keep watching it and tell me when it turns."  
The sniper fired another shot and dropped a Grunt as it fired it Needler. The pink needles floated through the air toward a group a marines. They stuck to random objects as the men jumped out of they way. One of the soldiers looked up from reloading his assault rifle, the last pink bolt flew into his face, latching itself there. The man dropped his weapon and grabbed at his face screaming and trying to claw it off. "Help me!" he yelled as he turned and ran out into the open, a bolt of plasma melted into his right leg, causing him to fall. The needle stuck to his face blew up as he fell towards the ground. Bits and pieces of his skull and brain flew everywhere. His limp body fell to the ground and bounced, a puddle of blood formed as the warm red liquid gushed out of his neck.  
Sgt. Tempesta fired the last round out of the magazine, it spiraled into the right eye of a blue armored Elite, killing the beast instantly.  
"Now, the Hunter turned, take the shot!" Cpl. Blasko shouted.  
"One second."  
"Hurry, before it turns back around!"  
Lt. Tempesta pulled the empty clip out of the gun and put a new one in. He shut his left eye and looked back through the scope, placing the reticule on the small exposed orange flesh on the back of the Hunter.  
The alien leaned forward and charged at a marine. The man jumped out of the way as the Hunter lifted its heavy shield and bent back over.  
The sniper squeezed the trigger, a thin gray line of fog appeared as the slug speed toward the Covenant. The bullet entered the Hunter's back, orange blood spilled out as the lifeless alien fell to the ground. The ground shook under the weight of the creature as it hit the ground.  
All of the Covenant in the area turned and fled, a few marines fired at them as they ran.  
Sgt. Tempesta fired one last shot, striking a Jackal down as it ran away.  
The scattered soldiers stood and cheered as the enemy ran. Though the battle was not over, it gave them time to rest as they moved towards another fight. 


End file.
